A2 · Võrdlusastmed
Degrees of comparison
Review your lesson, then put it into practice. There is no timer — take your time.
Three degrees
Algvõrre: ilus — beautiful
Keskvõrre: ilusam — more beautiful
Ülivõrre: kõige ilusam — the most beautiful
Mari on ilus.
Liisa on ilusam kui Mari.
Anna on kõige ilusam.
1. Forming the comparative
Usually, take the genitive (omastav) form and add -m: ilus → ilusa → ilusam.
Some adjectives change their stem vowel to e: vana → vanem, pikk → pikem, tark → targem. Learn the shorter forms of words such as lühike and väike individually. Hea has a different comparative stem: parem.
| Nominative | Genitive | Comparative |
|---|---|---|
| ilus | ilusa | ilusam |
| suur | suure | suurem |
| noor | noore | noorem |
| uus | uue | uuem |
| vaene | vaese | vaesem |
| rõõmus | rõõmsa | rõõmsam |
| kallis | kalli | kallim |
| odav | odava | odavam |
| kole | koleda | koledam |
| vana | vana | vanem |
| pikk | pika | pikem |
| tark | targa | targem |
| halb | halva | halvem |
| külm | külma | külmem |
| soe | sooja | soojem |
| lühike | lühikese | lühem |
| õhuke | õhukese | õhem |
| pisike | pisikese | pisem |
| väike | väikese | väiksem |
| hea | hea | parem |
2. Comparing with kui or -st
Use kui (than), or put the person or thing you compare with in the -st form.
Kuld on kallim kui hõbe. = Kuld on hõbedast kallim.
Vend on vanem kui õde. = Vend on õest vanem.
Õde on noorem kui vend. = Õde on vennast noorem.
3. The superlative
Put kõige before the comparative: kõige ilusam, kõige targem, kõige pikem, kõige parem.
Extra: You will also encounter short superlatives: ilusaim, rikkaim, parim, uusim, õnnelikeim. Practise the kõige form first.
4. Singular, plural and genitive
One person or thing: -m. Several people or things in the nominative: -mad.
See maja on suurem. → Need majad on suuremad.
Minu vend on noorem. → Minu vennad on nooremad.
The singular genitive of a comparative or superlative ends in -a: ilusama, suurema, parema, kõige pikema, ilusaima, parima.
5. Palju, natuke and veel
Palju — much: a big difference.
See auto on palju kallim.
Natuke — a little: a small difference.
See kleit on natuke odavam.
Veel — even: a stronger quality than something already mentioned.
See restoran on hea, aga teine on veel parem.
Practise your comparison forms
Type the missing words in Estonian. Check your answers when you are ready.
You can repeat every exercise as often as you like.
Test your knowledge
Ready to see what you remember? Answer 12 mixed questions from this lesson without looking at the notes. Use comparative forms unless the question asks for a superlative.
No timer. Your score and explanations appear after you submit. This is a self-check, so you can try again whenever you like.